JBMKKS Establishes Independent Mediasas Board To Ensure Sound Governance And Oversight, Supporting Long-Term Sustainability

The Joint Ministerial Committee on Private Healthcare Costs (JBMKKS) today announced the establishment of an independent MediAsas Board to provide strategic leadership, oversight and monitoring of the MediAsas plan moving forward.

The Board will provide strategic oversight and decisions on key aspects of the MediAsas plan, including its implementation, administration and performance, with a focus on safeguarding the public interest, supporting the plan’s long-term sustainability and advancing private healthcare reforms.

The Board, chaired by Professor Emeritus Datuk Dr Norma Mansor, comprises Professor Dr Elil Renganathan, Dato’ Hamidah Naziadin, Ivan Loh Ee Hoe, Serena Thio Hui Ming and Professor Dr Woo Yin Ling. Collectively, the members bring expertise across public policy and governance, healthcare, insurance and takaful, hospital operations and human resource & business management.

The Board will also include ex-officio representatives from the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Finance and Bank Negara Malaysia. It will be supported by the MediAsas Office which will be operated by ProtectHealth Corporation. In addition, the Board will be supported by global expert adviser Dr Winnie Yip, Professor of the Practice of Global Health Policy and Economics at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, and technical adviser Datuk Jessica Chew, former Deputy Governor of Bank Negara Malaysia.

YB Datuk Seri Dr Haji Dzulkefly Ahmad said, “Our healthcare reforms must ultimately deliver better outcomes for patients. The Board will play an important role in ensuring MediAsas remains anchored on this purpose, by bringing together healthcare and industry perspectives to manage healthcare costs more effectively, keep protection accessible and support better care for patients over the long term.”

YB Senator Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan said, “As MediAsas moves towards its nationwide launch at the end of January 2027, we are putting in place strong foundations for its success. The independent Board will provide strategic oversight of its implementation and performance, safeguard the public interest and help ensure the plan remains sustainable over the long term. Its diverse expertise will guide MediAsas as it moves from pilot to nationwide implementation, while ensuring that MediAsas continues to serve as a catalyst for ongoing healthcare reforms.”

The JBMKKS Consultative Council will continue to play an important role in supporting reforms under the RESET Strategy, bringing together the diverse perspectives from industry and consumers to help ensure reforms are practical, responsive to stakeholder needs and support the shared objective of accessible and sustainable private healthcare.

Ahead of the nationwide rollout at the end of January 2027, measures announced under Belanjawan 2027 will support wider access to essential medical coverage, particularly for those with limited or no existing medical and health insurance and takaful (MHIT) protection. Premiums or contributions paid for coverage purchased for individuals and their immediate family members will qualify for income tax relief, while RM40 million will be allocated to encourage coverage among employees of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with fewer than 75 employees.

Beyond MediAsas, JBMKKS continues to advance reforms under the RESET Strategy to address healthcare cost pressures and strengthen the private healthcare system. One key initiative is the development of a standardised billing framework for private hospitals, led by the Association of Private Hospitals of Malaysia (APHM). The framework aims to improve transparency and consistency in hospital billing, giving patients greater clarity on hospital charges, while helping to improve comparability in common charges.

JBMKKS also acknowledged the contribution of the Healthcare Partners Protocol and Solutions Committee (HPPSC), including initiatives to strengthen communication through a doctor-to-doctor hotline and enhance greater transparency in the process for empanelment of healthcare providers and medical practitioners.

Ministry of Finance
Ministry of Health
Putrajaya
4 November 2026

↓ Download: JBMKKS Establishes Independent Mediasas Board To Ensure Sound Governance And Oversight, Supporting Long-Term Sustainability